Monday, 28 September 2015

Hello everyone! Today I am sharing two cards that I have made using papers from the English Rose Garden Collection from Meg's Garden. I was really drawn to the ephemera in this collection and used it in the card above.

I used some roses from stash that complimented the rose in the ephemera. I also used some chipboard from my stash as well, which I kept raw as it worked well with the papers.

To create the vintage look, I used my distressing tool and I also tore some of the papers gently in areas. I also applied Walnut Stain Distress ink to all of my edges as well.

My second card has quite a few die cuts. I used Spellbinders A2 devine eleoquence set and stamped my sentiment onto it. I also used some lace from my stash.

I really liked this sentiment and the elegance of the frame. I applied foam tape to them to add extra dimension.

Friday, 18 September 2015

Hello everyone! I do love mini albums and I have to be in the mood to create one as they are time intensive but extremely rewarding at the end. The mini album I have to share with you is a project that you can complete in a few hours! The other amazing thing about this project is it only uses ONE sheet of paper. To create this album, I followed a tutorial by Kathy Orta which you can see here.

The album uses ONE 81/2" by 11" piece of cardstock for the base. I decorated it using papers from the Ska vi ta en fika Collection. As you can see, there are pockets to insert tags and places for photos and journaling.

To complete my album, I have printed my photos using a sepia filter. They each measure 5cm square. To embellish, I have used flat flowers, stamping and also punches and dies to personalise my album.

To create the curved edge to the front cover of my album, I used a Spellbinder curved border die. I also used any vintage stamp in my stash that would compliment the photos. I had mini themes for each photo where possible.

As the album is quite compact, it is amazing how you can make your embellishments work for you because of the scale of the project. I have used some Stampin' Up! Tag punches and they fit perfectly in the pockets. Extra stamping on them on left over papers makes beautiful embellishments quickly and easily.

I decided to add photos to the back of some of the flaps, so in this compact album, I used five photos in total! I also used Green Tara flowers to embellish my photos as they are relatively flat and perfect in terms of their size.

Once decorated, I have just used ribbon as my closure, nothing complicated.

This really is a great project to make as a stand alone, but it could also be used as an insert for a mini album project if you made a pocket to accommodate. I hope that you'll give it a try!

Sunday, 6 September 2015

Hello everyone! Today I have a layout to share with you. Each month, Maja Design has an moodboard to inspire you to create a project that is related to a theme.

And here’s a little reminder of what our mood boards are used for…Definition mood board – na board used by designers on which samples of various colours and
textures are mounted to help in deciding which elements complement each
other
We are using mood boards for our challenges. We truly believe in
creativity and art at Maja Design. You are free to interpret the mood
boards in any way you’d like. They are supposed to set you in an
inspirational mood without too much controlling. We would like you to be
inspired by the poems, words and photos. They are not given rules, they
are just there as inspiration. They are all inspired by a Maja
collection, but you are free to use any Maja papers you’d like as long
as they follow the colour scheme. We highly encourage you to follow the theme of the mood board as well.

Here is the September Moodboard

I chose to use a photo from a trip I went on a few years ago to Thailand and Singapore. I am pictured at the top of the Marina Sands Hotel (I am terrified of heights...this was as close to the edge as I was going!) It was an amazing trip. I had to battle my fears quite a lot....you only live once! This trip was in the Christmas holidays right before school resumed (I am a teacher) so I needed to make the most of every momenet.

Friday, 4 September 2015

Today
I have a very special post to share with you all. I am a Primary School teacher
and I currently teach a year three class. Earlier this year, I was emailing
Jenny Grotherus about some Maja Design related things and I shared some stories
of how I make cards with the children at school. She was really impressed about
this asked if I would like some papers to do some craft with my class. She
asked Marie for the ok and then suggested the Sommartider Collection. I had a
look at the papers and agreed that they would be perfect. After meeting with my
Head of Primary to discuss this idea, she said I could go ahead if the project
I chose related to the curriculum. I didn’t share any of this with the children
as I didn’t want to get their hopes up in case I received a ‘no.’

I
was interested in what the children would want to create. I projected the
papers onto the Smartboard and asked them what they would create if they had
these papers. They said cards and simple paper crafts. They really liked all of
the papers. As I had received a ‘yes’ by all parties at this stage I could
reveal to them what was in store and they were very excited! Next I had to come
up with a project that met curriculum outcomes and made authentic links to our
learning.

We
had just started a new Unit of Inquiry (UOI) as part of our PYP investigations.
Our central idea was Different factors affect personal well-being. This unit was the way I would be able to make the authentic links to meet
syllabus outcomes. I decided we would make a mixed media canvas and use the She
Art style. The children would be able to personalise their She Art girl/boy and
also learn new techniques. The learning intent for this project was to create a
She Art girl/boy which reflected themselves. Their inspirational quote had to
show positive personal well-being.

Where to begin….when I walked into the classroom
with the Maja Design box the children were jumping for joy! I had already made
a sample canvas (as shown above) to demonstrate what we would be creating. We
had a lot of planning to do.

I created an Art page on our class page on Haiku
Learning (College intranet) with YouTube links to She Art tutorials. We watched
and discussed them in great detail.I
had a Pinterest board where we viewed samples of art so that the children could
see examples, discuss techniques and considered different interpretations of
She Art girls/boys. Next I added a discussion onto our Haiku page:

What design are you thinking of using
for your canvas? Share them in this discussion. What inspirational word will
you add? Here are some suggestions...

Dance Hope Inspire Dream

Here are some student responses:

Soccer inspires me to follow my dreams
because when I'm older I want to be a famous soccerplayer – Anthony

She art really inspires me –
Hilary

The children had a chance to plan their designs on some scrap paper using
the She Art style. Some found it difficult but it gave me a chance to see who
needed templates to assist later on. In Australia, children in year 3
participate in national testing (NAPLAN) which was due to occur very soon. I
decided that we would create the actual canvas at the end of the testing as
NAPLAN spans over four days and to make a day of it. It’s much easier having
all of the art supplies out, having the drying time and to keep the creativity
flowing!

Here are some photos of the children creating their She Art in various
stages…..

Here are some of the completed canvases…..

Sit back and enjoy a video of the all
of the completed artworks and the creative process.

After the children completed their
canvases, they then completed a reflection. I have two to share which captures
the process and their learning.

When my class and I did She Art we
learnt so many new tips and used so many tools. It was so much fun, we tuned
the classroom upside down! We used mod podge, paint, bubble wrap, rub ons,
stamps, gelatos, book paper, stencils, modelling paste and of course we got to
use a canvas. We also chose our words.

I learnt that mixed media is not
neat. I thought my She Art was going to turn out messy but instead it tuned out
great. I loved using the Sommartider papers. It
was so much fun. I enjoyed making the girl and using the rub ons to make lots
of texture. The mod podge was very, very sticky. But what I really enjoyed was
designing it. It looks amazing! I love the ice-cream paper. It took us a whole
day to get it done. - Zahara

We
first created our background using Maja Design paper and then sketched our
girl/boy onto some scrap paper. We also painted the sides. Miss McGrath and Mrs
Harris helped us to create the suns. Then we traced our girl/boy onto Maja
Design papers. Next we cut the traced lines and mod podged them on. We put
bubble wrap paints onto our canvas. Our girl’s/boy’s faces, arms and legs are
made from book paper. Finally we added some finishing touches like stamps,
rubons, and some texture and much more.

I
learnt that when we add texture our canvas becomes more attractive. I also
learnt that in She Art we don’t use eyes, nose or mouth on the face but only
cheeks. I enjoyed adding the extra texture. It had one attitude – creativity
and maybe confidence. – Elena

The canvases are proudly on display in our learning
space (classroom) and we stop to admire them regularly. The parents have had a
chance to look at their children’s work and were amazed at what their children
have created. I am always amazed at how children are fearless when they
approach art. They enjoy using mediums and love exploring new techniques.

A big thank you to Jenny and Marie who offered the
opportunity to my class and to Camilla for finalising the delivery of the
papers. We still have a lot of papers to use…not sure what will come next but
will share when we do!

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About Me

Hi! I'm
Cathy. I live in Sydney and am a Primary School teacher. I am passionate
about teaching and love what I do. When I'm not completing school work, I try
to fit some craft in. This is my creative outlet. my other passion. My dream
is to be able to craft all day long. I really enjoy looking at what other
people do and draw my inspiration from their creations. I am always inspired
to learn, in both teaching and my crafts.